Blog Post
Staff Picks: Motown Turns 65
by lucroe
Berry Gordy founded Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, later adding the Motown Records label. We celebrate the immense contribution to music with some books, CDs, and a movie. To learn more about Motown go to Detroit’s own Motown Museum.
Where Did Our Love Go? : the Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound by Nelson George | Request Now
Originally written in the 1980s, this is a well-researched and straightforward account of Motown’s history. George traces Berry Gordy’s career as well as the vocalists, songwriters and musicians who made the Motown sound synonymous with the 1960’s. In the end, according to accounts, Gordy lost touch with his artists and Motown became “…just another record company…”. George has written a book that shows great appreciation for the Motown that was once a powerhouse of the music industry.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: New Music by Black Artists in Celebration of Black History Month
by eapearce
AADL is always adding new music to our collection in the form of both CDs and LP records! This month we’ve got a feature on newly added titles by Black artists, in celebration of February being Black History Month. Enjoy!
Afro Futuristic Dreams, by Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids | Request Now
This new jazz album, the first by Idris Ackamoore since 2020, draws influences from a wide variety of artists: you’ll hear elements of Parliament Funkadelic, Sun Ra and Fela Kuti along with more traditional jazz sounds and combinations. The smoothness of Afro Futuristic Dreams doesn’t take away from its politically charged message, aided by Ackamoor delivering straightforward lyrics about current events. Ackamoor, who came of age in the 1960s, has always felt that making music is about “making change happen,” and it’s clear on this new record that he’s pushing for change in the United States in lots of ways. The Pyramids were founded in the early 1970s in Ohio, and became known for combining African rhythms with the psychedelic jazz that was particularly popular in the U.S. at the time. Known for being one of the few bands who actually spent time traveling and playing in Africa to best capture the authentic sounds they were seeking, they’re just as strong as ever accompanying Ackamoor on this record (he was a founding member of the band back in the day). This record is well worth a listen.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: A Library Card: Your Ticket to Free Streaming!
by emjane
Peeved that your streaming service is adding commercials? Luckily there is a whole slew of commercial-free streaming content available to you via your aadl.org catalog. You can browse the whole collection of more than 10,000 videos, or check out some recommended picks below:
Travel Documentaries
Travel the world without leaving your couch! BBC’s Emmy-winning Seven Worlds One Planet is a beautiful look at all of the continents. Don’t Forget Your Passport is more causal viewing, but its charming host and highlight of tours across the world is a great way to add future trips to your bucket list. And, of course, you can’t forget the King of Travel, Rick Steves – we have quite a few titles from his Rick Steves’ Europe series!
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Into The Woods - Middle-Grade Wilderness Comics
by nicole
Looking for adventure, but stuck at home in the snow? Travel to magical jungles and frontier forests with these wild wilderness graphic novels.
Mighty Jack, Book 1 by Ben Hatke | Request Now
Jack might be the only kid in the world dreading summer. But he's got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to watch his autistic kid sister, Maddy. It's a lot of responsibility. And it's boring, too, because Maddy never talks. Not ever. But then, one day at the flea market, Maddy does talk: she tells Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever made. Soon Jack finds himself planting a very unusual garden, one that produces a crop of strange and bizarre creatures. What starts as a normal little garden out back behind the house quickly grows up into a wild, magical jungle with tiny onion babies running amok, huge, pink pumpkins that bite, and, on one moonlit night that changes everything…a dragon. If you love Ben Hatke's great storytelling or want more Mighty Jack, check out the rest of his books in the AADL Catalog.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #833, She investigates...
by muffy
Murder by Degrees * * * by Ritu Mukerji
Philadelphia, 1875. Dr. Lydia Weston teaches at the Woman's Medical College and attends to working-class patients at the city's Spruce Street Clinic where she first meets Anna Ward. Hardworking, highly motivated and an eager learner, Anna works as a chambermaid for the wealthy Curtis family but shares Lydia’s love of literature. During an appointment with Lydia, Anna is visibly troubled by something she won't explain, and abruptly disappears. Soon her body is dredged out of the Schuylkill River, bloated beyond recognition, she is identified by her diary and clothes neatly folded by the river.
When the police rules Anna’s death as suicide, Lydia is suspicious, especially when her autopsy confirms otherwise. “Mukerji, like Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs, pulls the reader into fascinating and richly detailed forensic autopsies and blesses Weston with the instincts and determination to carry out a murder investigation as effectively as--or even better than--the police.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“This well-researched, historical-mystery debut by a practicing physician will appeal to readers who enjoy strong female characters and graphic clinical details.” (Booklist) For fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd.
The Expectant Detectives * by Kat Ailes is the first in a new cozy mystery series, set in the sleepy village of Penton. Finding themselves unexpectedly expecting, Alice and her partner Joe move out of pricy London to embrace country life in the Cotswolds. With the baby coming in 2 weeks, they sign up for a prenatal class. When one of the women goes into labor during class, frenzy ensues until someone notices Mr. Oliver, owner of the herb shop downstairs, keels over dead, and they find themselves all suspects in the murder investigation.
Together with her band of pregnant sleuths, Alice manages to suss out Mr. Oliver's many secrets, his connection to the hippie commune in the woods and the mysterious death in the village some years ago. What’s most disturbing for Alice is how Joe has been acting strangely and someone tries to poison her goofy canine companion Helen.
In this The Thursday Murder Club meets Midsomer Murders, “readers of Darci Hannah will enjoy Helen’s spotlight in this series. The humor is akin to Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan series, and the relationship between Joe and Alice is reminiscent of Jules Capshaw’s romantic endeavors in Ellie Alexander’s “Bakeshop Mysteries.” (Publishers Weekly)
* * * = 3 starred reviews
* = Starred review
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Imagining the Future
by lucroe
Cli-Fi or Climate-focused fiction is a subgenre that is concerned with what might become of our world and our future if climate change continues. These authors have imagined what might be in store for us in the decades to come. Some spell doom and gloom while others take a more moderate approach. These stories offer a lot to think about and appreciate.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood | Request Now
Failure to halt climate change has created an out of control weather system where fierce storms and tornadoes are all too common. The coastlines are flooded, and there’s no seasons anymore: just one long, sticky, miserable summer. Those few who survived the plague scrounge for food while dodging genetically modified creatures gone feral, like “wolvogs” and “pigoons”. Potentially the last human on earth, "Snowman" tours the remnants of his destroyed world, reminiscing and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake; the woman they both loved, Oryx; and the rise of genetic experimentation that destroyed the world.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Further Reading Related to the 2024 Washtenaw Read
by eapearce
You may have heard that the selection for the 2024 Washtenaw Read is How the Word is Passed, by Clint Smith. The keynote event for the Read will take place this spring, with a variety of related events leading up to it. If you’ve read the book and would like to participate in a discussion of it with AADL staff and fellow community members, we have one coming up on January 23 at 6pm on Zoom. And if you’re interested in further reading related to the topics Smith discusses in his book, you may want to check out one of these titles!
On Juneteenth, by Annette Gordon-Reed | Request Now
Gordon-Reed, an esteemed historian, Pulitzer Prize-winner, and Black Texas native explores the history of Texas, shares what it was like growing up as a Black girl and young woman in the state and ponders the creation of Juneteenth and its significance to her communities in Texas and beyond. Gordon-Reed is the descendent of enslaved people who were brought against their will to Texas prior to the Civil War and has spent a great deal of time studying the origins of Juneteenth and the legacies of the holiday. Though this book is fairly slim, it is packed with fascinating historical information and deeply personal stories. Readers will learn much.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Good Cooks for Cold Days!
by emjane
A great way to warm your home (and your spirit) in these drearier days of the year is to cook! Here are some great cookbooks to use to build a cozy, comforting meal!
The Soup Club Cookbook by Courtney Allison, Tina Carr, Caroline Laskow, and Julie Peacock | Request Now
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Comical Cats for Kids
by nicole
If you're looking for comics for cat lovers, look no further! Find your new favorite feline in one of these comical kids graphic novels about cats.
Catwad, Volume 1: It's Me, by Jim Benton | Request Now
Meet Catwad. He's blue, he's a bit of a grouch, and his best friend is a happy-go-lucky cat named Blurmp who can see the bright side of anything! From pizza and computers to love and happiness, this furball has a funny take on just about everything - and he's not afraid to share it. This laugh-out-loud series will make even the grumpiest of grumblers smile! If you like the first book, make sure to check out the whole series in the AADL Catalog.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Books by Comedians that are More Than Bits
by emjane
Many stand-up comedians are halfway-decent writers, their trade is words, after all! But there’s a difference between being able to successfully translate your act to written form (I’m looking at you, Jerry Seinfeld) and creating something new – something funny, yes, but with more depth to it. Luckily, we’re living in the golden age of comedian writers – or at least, I declare that we are! Here are four of my favorites.
Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult by Maria Bamford | Request Now
Alt-comic Maria Bamford has found success despite working through struggles with debt, mental health, and the ethics of taking certain jobs; she credits some of this success to the role that multiple 12-step groups have played in her life, even while acknowledging their flaws. In addition to her comedic chops, a major piece of Bamford’s appeal is how deeply willing she is to be entirely honest, even about things that most people keep under their hat: mental health, personal finance, and blatantly ignoring parking protocol. She speaks openly about her challenges and, in doing so, empowers her readers to also experience personal growth, or at least not feel so alone. Bamford has a distinct voice – both metaphorically and literally – if you’re an audiobook person, you might want to listen to this one!